Feeding device



G. G. KENNEDY.

FEEDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12. 1920.

1,380,564., Patented June 7, 1921.

Fig. J. Fig. 8.

Inventor;

' first, to supply a tiltable a closed position,

stars FEEDING DEVICE.

v reeoeea.

To all w 7mm it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE GoLvrN KEN- NEDY, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Waterloo, Blackhawk county, Iowa, have invented certain new and "useful Improvements in Feeding Devices, of which the following is a specification. V 7

My invention relates to improvements in feeding devices, particularly for use by hogs, and the objects of. my improvements are,

feeding vessel, operable by the animal in shifting the vessel from a closed position relative to a source of supply into a feeding position receptive to a renewed supply, and second, to provide means whereby this feeding vessel, when left by the animal, will automatically, return to shutting ofi said supply, while, evacuating its unconsumed contents.

These objects I have accomplished by the means which are hereinafter described and I claimed, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1, 2 and 3 are similar vertical medial long1- tudinal sections of my improved feeding device, with parts broken away, and in which differently modified kinds offfeeding vessels are shown; Fig. 4 is a front elevation of said device, with the upper part of the hopper broken away and, the feeding vessel shown in cross section, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the feeding vessel shown in said Fig. 3.

Similar numerals of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views. 1

10 is a hopper whose diminished lower part has an opening incased by the widened u perpart of a depending spout 8 secured by bolts 9,.the spout preferably sloping forwardly. This hopper may be fixedly supported in any desired manner, as by fixed standards 11 and 13 secured. thereto by bolts 12 and 14. These standards may be secured to a flooring 15 below the hopper and a raised platform 16 may be mounted on the forward portion of said flooring.

1 is an open top feeding vesselwhose rear end may be thickened at 2 as shown in Fig. 1, or vjmay be provided with a weight 7 securedto the bottom thereof as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the body of the vessel being made of thin material. This feeding vessel may be swingingly suspended beneath the spout 8 in any desired manner, the spout Specification of LettersPatent.

sel to rock the vessel to gravity of Patented June 7, rear.

Application filed. April 12, 1920. Serial No. 373,236.

extending into the vessel, but preferably the vessel is so hinged or pivoted intermediately of its ends, as to be in an unbalanced condition or so that the rear'end thereof will overweight the forward end to tilt the forward end upwardly, this being its normal position, and the shape of the .vessel issuch that in this positiononly, the uptiltedbottom of the vessel completely closes contactingly the open lower end ofsaid spout. In order to prevent undue lengthening of the rear part of the vessel, the weight 7 is applied thereto.

For convenience and suitable supporting of the vessel 1, the otally and removably on fixed pintles v3 extending oppositely laterally and horizontally'from the sides of the spout 8, the ends of the pintles extending into curved bearing vessel may be hung pivbrackets a ontheinside walls of the sides of V the vessel. This permits of the lifting and clean it.

A hog may press its lower jaw on the rearwardly curved forward endof said vesthe feeding position shown by dotted lines. Feed will then flow through the spout 8 into the vessel replenishing it constantly as the contentsare consumed, but when the animal leaves the vessel, the latter returns to a closed position, as shown in full lines, due to the superior its rear part. It will be seen that the shape and suspension of said vessel is such that when in. the feeding position, bottom is inclined forwardly, facilitating replenishment of its contents, while in its closed position, its bottomis tilted rearwardly, causing any-unconsumed contents to flow past said spout into the rear part of the vessel, there to be retained until another actuation, when it returns forwardly for consumption. Feed is, therefore, not wasted by this device but is continuously and completely consumed.

I have shown modified forms of the feeding vessel in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive. In Fig. 2, the rear wall of the feeding vessel is omitted, but spaced pairs of ribs 5 are poits,

sitioned on the rear ends of the inner side a closed position, any unconsumed contents when the vessel tilts back to therein may flow rearwardly out of the vessel upon the flooring 15 or into an open removable receptacle 17 thereunder.

I have provided releasable securing means for holding the vessel 1 in its lowered or open position as shown in 3. This may be a lug"22 secured on the under forward part of the vessel by a rivet 21 to be engaged by an end of a catch-bar 20 movable through orificed guides 19 on a base 18 secured to the platform 16.

It will be observed that in its closed po sition, the transverse wall of the forward end of said vessel contacts with the rearwardly sloping forward wall 10 of the hopper, preventing entrance of rain and keeping out birds or dust.

It should be noted that the hanging of the vessel 1 at a point intermediate its ends below a diminished hopper, permits it to be tilted to close either end against the abut ting part of the hopper when such end is tilted upwardly, and this exposes the other end open, whereby either end may be a feeding receptacle. Thus, referring to Figs. 1 and 2, feed which has slid down into the closed end 2 of Fig. 1, or against the removable end 6 of Fig. 2, may be consumed by small animals or even f'owls, the other higher end being used by larger animals. This allows feeding by one device from opposite sides of the hopper, an economy in construction.

The form and arrangement of my device is very suitable for the grouping of any desired number thereof, side by side, so that they may be used to supply different kinds of feed as desired.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a feeding device, open top feeding vessel pivotally mounted intermediate its ends, one end of said vessel being terminally closed to receptacle and the opposite minally open to serve as a a hopper, and an end being terdelivery chute,

and into which the hopper extends in. such a relation to the vessel that in one position of thevessel the upper surface of its bottom closes the delivery orifice of the hopper.

2. In a feeding device, an open vessel suspended pivotally intermediate its ends, and a hopper positioned above and delivering into said vessel, said vessel when tilted in 7 one direction closing the delivery the hopper by the upper face of the bottom of the vessel, and the vessel in either of oppositively tilted positions closing one or the opposite end of the vessel against the abutting part of the hopper.

3. Ina feeding device, a hopper, an open top feeding vessel pivotally mounted between its ends in an unbalanced condition, the hopper opening being closed. by said opening of serve as a feed ve'ssel when the latter is in its normal unbalanced state, and said vessel having its outer end wall shaped to close against the hopper when said hopper opening is closed by the vessel.

4. In a feeding device, a hopper having a delivery spout, and an open top feeding vessel pivotally-mounted to inelose the delivery end of said spent to normally hang closing the delivery opening of the spout with a part of its surface and with its open outer end closed against the abutting outer wall of the hopper.

5. In a feeding device, a hopper having a delivery spout and a wall inclined downwardly and rearwardly toward said spout, and an open top feeding vessel pivotally mounted in anunbalanced condition adapted to normally contact with and close the delivery end of its spout and at the same time close its open end against the said inclined wall of the hopper.

6. In a device of the character described, a hopper having a delivery-opening, an elon gated open top vessel under said opening and whose opposite ends are terminally closed, said vessel being pivotally supported intermediate its ends in an unbalanced condition to close its outer end opening against the abutting parts of the hopper while exposing its inner end opening when tilted appropriately, the bottom of the vessel in said tilted position thereof closing the de livery opening of the hopper.

7. In a feeding device, a hopper,and an open top feeding vessel suspended in an nu balanced condition'adjacent to said hopper to receive therefrom, having one end closed and its opposite .end terminally unobstructed. said vessel being suspended to normally close the delivery opening of the hop per, movable away to receive therefrom, and when closing said delivery opening to be in clined to evacuate its contents from said unobstructed end.

8. In a feeding device, a hopper,;and'an open top feeding vessel movably-supported adjacent to said hopper to receive therefrom, having one end-closed and its opposite end open. said vessel being suspended and weighted to normally close the delivery opening of the hopper, and movable away to receive therefrom.

9. In feeding device, a hopper, and a vessel removably supported in an unbalanced condition adjacent to said hopper to receive therefrom, having its outer end closed and its opposite end terminally open,

said vessel being positioned to normally close the deliveryopening of the hopper, movable away to receive therefrom, and when closing said delivery opening to be inclined to evacuate its contents from said open end,

and removable means for closing the said open end of said vessel. 7

10. In a feeding device, a hopper, and an open top feeding vessel detachably suspended adjacent to said hopper to receive therefrom, having one end closed and its opposite end open, said vessel being suspended to normally close the delivery openmovable away to receive ing of the hopper, therefrom, and in both said positions having its bottom inclined away from the hori- Zontal.

11. In adevice of the character described, a hopper having a diminished delivery part, an open top vessel suspended. pivotally below said delivery part to project oppositely at both ends therefrom, said vessel and delivery part of the hopper being so relatively positioned that when either end of the vessel is tilted upwardly, the abutting part of the hopper, and when it is closed against one end of the vessel is tilted upwardly, the upper face of its bottom closes the said delivery part.

12. In a device of the character described, a hopper with a terminal opening, a vessel pivoted intermediate its opposite ends under said hopper opening, the middle upper face of the bottom of said vessel closing said opening normally, and the opposite end parts of the vessel serving alternately as feed holders as the vessel is tilted to and fro.

Signed at Waterloo, Iowa, this 8th day of April, 1920.

GEORGE COLVIN KENNEDY. 

